We all need things to get our day started. Whatever job we have, we need our tools and our comfort items. For many, it’s a ritual: coffee, computer, favorite sweater. This is the signal to our brain that it’s time to get to work.

Axosoft is mostly comprised of engineers and a few self-proclaimed code junkies. And, after a few conversations, it’s been agreed upon by our development team that you need a few basics to get the day started:

A computer

Electricity

A workspace—preferably one that doesn’t hurt your eyes

But what else? Like any other artists, devs have their own processes, styles, and quirks. But what is it that they need to get started on that gorgeous list of symbols, numbers, letters and commands?

Well, I asked. And here’s what they had to say about the tools they need to get codin’.

**Disclaimer: Almost every single one of the devs said they don’t need to have these things, that they could code just fine without. But hey, everyone has preferences, am I right?

David Koontz,Axosoft GitKraken Developer

Whiteboards help you think and share information easily.

A whiteboard or a pen and notepad “Because things are going to come up and you don’t want to have to remember something that’s already written down.”

Atom Editor“I mean, I could live without it but having the plugins and operating system setup exactly how you like is pretty important.”

A clear sense of what I’m going to be doing“It’s hard to make progress if I haven’t thought about what I’m going to do.”

Kyle Smith, Axosoft GitKraken Developer

Pair programming gives you power.

Pair programming“When I code on my own, I’m just a regular guy. With pair programming I think, now I have this robot suit on and I can lift heavy things! My partner and I can bounce ideas off of each other and he/she will point out flaws that are obvious to them but not to me. The amount you can accomplish as a team is great, and I prefer it over working by myself.”

Coffee“When I was in college, I took a growler of coffee with me to the library once to pull an all-nighter. I don’t know how I didn’t poop my pants! I’ve been addicted ever since.”

A Retina monitor“I’d rather have a little laptop with a good screen than a giant crappy monitor.”

Ixnay on Windows“I really prefer Mac or Linux. I hate working on Windows because the terminal is so bad in my opinion.”

A really, really dim display“I use F.lux, an app that dims my screen and makes it more yellow. This helps so my eyes are less strained. A room without windows is good too.”

Ashley Maberry, Axosoft Developer

Soothing, calm tunes make everything easier.

Spotify“I like to have either a quiet and calm environment or music. Any kind of music without words is preferable because a song with too many words is distracting.”

Lights off“I like the lights off, it makes it easier to look at the screen.”

A jacket“A jacket or something to help me stay warm. I used to use a Snuggie for the longest time.”

Jose Garcia, Axosoft Product Owner

Three monitors? Heck yeah!

Multiple monitors“I have a vertical monitor, where I keep a Chrome window open for Axosoft so I can look at my list of items. I keep Visual Studio open on my large horizontal monitor. I keep all of my other windows, including Slack, Gmail and Google Calendar on my other monitor.”

Google everything“I use Google Chrome, Gmail, Google Keep, and I subscribe to Google Play. I have all of them open all of the time.”

Chatter in the room“If the room I’m working in is too quiet, I get distracted. If there are no discussions happening, I’ll put on my headphones and listen to music. Always on shuffle. Again, Google Play.”

Jordan Wallet, Axosoft GitKraken Developer

When the cans take up an equal amount of real estate as your keyboard, you’re pretty caffeinated.

A chair“A chair. Definitely. Bonus if it’s comfortable and has wheels and swivels. I like to roll across the room sometimes to interact with my team. That’s nice.”

Whiteboards“This is a big one. I love whiteboards. No kidding, it’s one of the things that attracted me to Axosoft. When I interviewed and saw that Axosoft had whiteboards painted on the walls, I thought that was really cool. I even have a whiteboard in my living room with my schedule and everything on it. If I can’t fit it all on a whiteboard, then I know I’ve got too much going on.”

What do you need to keep your job done well? Let us know by tweeting @axosoft or @gitkraken using #devlife!